horti tape 010: botanical feels
A botanical playlist and tantric plant meditation
A playlist inspired by cool guitar riffs and smoldering summer days
Just as soil is most nourishing when there is mineral and nutrient variety, so too is music and life. Plants take up essential elements from the soil through their roots and from the air through their leaves. Explore and expand your roots with these sonic nutrients and enjoy an airy palette like a cool breeze from talented guitarists bringing alive scenery and stories with the voice of their stringed instruments. Let these sounds take you into the imaginal realms of a botanical lounge, cooled and calmed, visions of plant filled places with warm and welcoming faces.
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Tommy Guerrero - Honestly this entire playlist could be made up of Tommy Guerrero playfully jamming on his guitar. You’ll find a few variations from this San Francisco-born skater throughout this playlist. Thank me later.
Khruangbin - LiteraIly translates from Thai as “airplane,” this trio is the perfect example of cross-pollination bringing a varietal of elemental and instrumental vibes from 60’s and 70’s thai rock and funk influences to surf rock, dub, psychedelia and Iranian pop. I also now love them even more after finding out they have a badass female bassist in the band.
Gabor Szaboo - A unique guitarist that emerged in the 1960’s mixing his Hungarian folk music heritage with a deep love for jazz while crafting a self-taught sound. He escaped from his country at age 20 on the eve of the Communist uprising and eventually made his way to America, settling with his family in sunny California.
Skinshape - This one man band might sound familiar as a couple of his songs have made appearances on previous horti tapes. British musician, William Dorey, brings nostalgic sounds inspired by 60’s and 70’s funk, soul, reggae, psychedelic rock, afrobeat and folk.
Red Snapper - Red Snapper is a London based band established in 1994 most notably recognized for a pioneering and evolving synthesis of acoustic and electronic sounds that have drawn from avant-garde jazz, funk, dub, post-punk and hip-hop.
Ikebe Shakedown - Vintage funk vibes comprised of fertile soils including foundational elements of 70’s soul, psychedelic, cinematic Western tracks with grounded grooves and soaring melodies.
Dans Dans - Belgium based musical collective producing instrumental, atmospheric, hypnotic, delicate and wild soundscapes.
Kevin Morby - Lyrical mystique with rootsy production. Double feature.
Mo’ Horizons - German acid jazz duo melting funk, jazz, bossa nova, soul, boogaloo with downbeat dnb tendencies inspire us to dance naked under palms trees with this one. I just bought a Bird of Paradise and have definitely been dancing naked on these warm Brooklyn days with my new plant friend.
Zazou - Pianist turned guitarist at a young age, Zazou has become a protagonist among the international Deep House and Slow Rave scenes. I’ve never actually heard of “slow rave” so will definitely have to check that out!
Bajofondo - Argentine- Uruguayan tango fusion collective, fusing acoustic tango with electronic music.
Cymande - pronounced Sah-mahn-day was one of the first to merge African rhythms with rock, funk, reggae and soul in the early 70’s creating a sound that was “subtle but sinewy.” Also, this global collective that makes up this nine-man band hailing from exotic locales like Guyana, Jamaica and St. Vincent is entirely self-taught. Learning that these nine guys learn so eloquently how to play their instruments and harmoniously bring together their sounds organically has given me reassurance that I can also learn how to successfully grow plants in my NY apartment, and not just keep the guitar I bought in the corner as a prop but to pick it up and play for my plant friends.
Lord Echo - New Zealander bringing fun vintage disco, FUNk and rocksteady feels fusing African and Latin influences with a dubby texture.
Still Corners - This duo met at a London train stop in 2009 and the rest is history. Connect, explore, meet, greet. You never know who’s just around the corner.
Jose Gonzalez - Autumnal indie pop and intimate acoustics.
Islandman - Istanbul origins from multi-instrumentalist Tolga Boyuk with electro-acoustic mixtures creating the fantastical musical persona of a fictional character, a dreamer composing his stories of non-existent places in sound…
Bombino - Meditative and earthy Niger-based musician, Bombino evokes the expansiveness of the Sahara in his sounds. A nomadic upbringing fleeing political upheaval and turmoil taking him to Algeria and Burkina Faso expanding his sonic palette even further to unite all in a mix of pure craftsmanship of psychedelic rock, middle-eastern flavors and Jimi Hendrix invocations.
Mdou Moctar - Another sonic sorcerer coming from the Sahara, Mdou Moctar is one of the most innovative contemporary artists is Saharan music. His unconventional interpretations of the Tuareg guitar have pushed him to the forefront. Bringing Saharan Rock to a global community with unique tones accompanied with familiar textures. This dude SHREDS!
Khruangbin - LiteraIly translates from Thai as “airplane,” this trio is the perfect example of cross-pollination bringing a varietal of elemental and instrumental vibes from 60’s and 70’s thai rock and funk influences to surf rock, dub, psychedelia and Iranian pop. I also now love them even more after finding out they have a badass female bassist in the band.
Gabor Szaboo - A unique guitarist that emerged in the 1960’s mixing his Hungarian folk music heritage with a deep love for jazz while crafting a self-taught sound. He escaped from his country at age 20 on the eve of the Communist uprising and eventually made his way to America, settling with his family in sunny California.
Skinshape - This one man band might sound familiar as a couple of his songs have made appearances on previous horti tapes. British musician, William Dorey, brings nostalgic sounds inspired by 60’s and 70’s funk, soul, reggae, psychedelic rock, afrobeat and folk.
Red Snapper - Red Snapper is a London based band established in 1994 most notably recognized for a pioneering and evolving synthesis of acoustic and electronic sounds that have drawn from avant-garde jazz, funk, dub, post-punk and hip-hop.
Ikebe Shakedown - Vintage funk vibes comprised of fertile soils including foundational elements of 70’s soul, psychedelic, cinematic Western tracks with grounded grooves and soaring melodies.
Dans Dans - Belgium based musical collective producing instrumental, atmospheric, hypnotic, delicate and wild soundscapes.
Kevin Morby - Lyrical mystique with rootsy production. Double feature.
Mo’ Horizons - German acid jazz duo melting funk, jazz, bossa nova, soul, boogaloo with downbeat dnb tendencies inspire us to dance naked under palms trees with this one. I just bought a Bird of Paradise and have definitely been dancing naked on these warm Brooklyn days with my new plant friend.
Zazou - Pianist turned guitarist at a young age, Zazou has become a protagonist among the international Deep House and Slow Rave scenes. I’ve never actually heard of “slow rave” so will definitely have to check that out!
Bajofondo - Argentine- Uruguayan tango fusion collective, fusing acoustic tango with electronic music.
Cymande - pronounced Sah-mahn-day was one of the first to merge African rhythms with rock, funk, reggae and soul in the early 70’s creating a sound that was “subtle but sinewy.” Also, this global collective that makes up this nine-man band hailing from exotic locales like Guyana, Jamaica and St. Vincent is entirely self-taught. Learning that these nine guys learn so eloquently how to play their instruments and harmoniously bring together their sounds organically has given me reassurance that I can also learn how to successfully grow plants in my NY apartment, and not just keep the guitar I bought in the corner as a prop but to pick it up and play for my plant friends.
Lord Echo - New Zealander bringing fun vintage disco, FUNk and rocksteady feels fusing African and Latin influences with a dubby texture.
Still Corners - This duo met at a London train stop in 2009 and the rest is history. Connect, explore, meet, greet. You never know who’s just around the corner.
Jose Gonzalez - Autumnal indie pop and intimate acoustics.
Islandman - Istanbul origins from multi-instrumentalist Tolga Boyuk with electro-acoustic mixtures creating the fantastical musical persona of a fictional character, a dreamer composing his stories of non-existent places in sound…
Bombino - Meditative and earthy Niger-based musician, Bombino evokes the expansiveness of the Sahara in his sounds. A nomadic upbringing fleeing political upheaval and turmoil taking him to Algeria and Burkina Faso expanding his sonic palette even further to unite all in a mix of pure craftsmanship of psychedelic rock, middle-eastern flavors and Jimi Hendrix invocations.
Mdou Moctar - Another sonic sorcerer coming from the Sahara, Mdou Moctar is one of the most innovative contemporary artists is Saharan music. His unconventional interpretations of the Tuareg guitar have pushed him to the forefront. Bringing Saharan Rock to a global community with unique tones accompanied with familiar textures. This dude SHREDS!
Cooling and Calming Breathing Exercise:
With muggy 80 and 90 degree days ahead here’s any easy way to keep mind and body cool. With the Sitkari Pranayama or Teeth Hissing breath we will begin to embody the calathea rattlesnake
- To start, bring the upper and lower front teeth together, and pull your cheeks into a smile.
- Fold the tongue and press the tip of the folded tongue onto the back of your teeth.
- Inhale through your teeth, this will create the hissing sound with the cool air is entering your body.
- Exhale through your nostrils and keep your mouth closed.
- Repeat for 10 rounds
Disclaimer: If you are suffering from any kind of respiratory problem, such as asthma or bronchitis, or if you have a heavy cold, it's best to skip this practice. Also, if you are in the midst of a busy city with noise and air pollution around you, wait until you can practice somewhere a bit quieter, surrounded by plants and clean(er) air (so maybe the subway isn’t the best place for this practice).
Now that horti play is here I am so excited for the next Dance Your Plants Off experience coming up on July 24th. We’ll be bringing to life these blog posts with intentional and educational potting led by the horti crew and then get to embody our new plant friend with a meditation and celebration. I hope to see you there! Click HERE for all the details and follow along for more botanical bonding!
